Smile - it will be all white on the night

Cosmetic dentistry is the new cosmetic surgery, says Xenia Gregoriadis

FROM BARBIE to Baywatch, a dazzling smile comes as standard, as common as a button nose and "sun-kissed" hair. This stems not from a genetic fluke exclusive to the West Coast, but from a commitment to "fixing" life's little imperfections. Experts reveal that the "mouth-lift" is epidemic in the States, with cosmetic dental surgeries as widespread as beauty parlours. So if age, tea and fags have sullied your gnashers, why not take a leaf out of the Hollywood bible and go get a tooth-job. Readily available and increasingly popular in the UK, a year's worth of bright- white smile could be yours for as little as pounds 400.

Dr Stanley Kay of the Harley Street Dental Clinic whitens the teeth of approximately sixty patients a year, which, not surprisingly, includes a glittering list of models and pop-stars. To counteract the occurrence of unsightly discolouration, Kay recommends regular brushing with a specialist toothpaste such as Rembrandt or Janina Ultrawhite before spending money needlessly. If this fails to lift stains and whiten the teeth, bleaching may be the answer.

The client is fitted with a plastic mouth tray, soaked in the correct concentration of bleach (carbamide peroxide) and worn at night for 5 to 7 days. The teeth should appear lighter by the end of the week and remain so for up to 14 months, "depending on the habits and teeth of each individual", adds Kay. Although results vary from person to person, "the majority are very happy with the results". If your teeth happen to stain more easily than most people's, or you wish to go lighter, you may require regular treatments. Bleaching is considered safe by the British Dental Association but only under the supervision of a registered dentist. While DIY bleaching kits are available over the counter at a fraction of the cost, EC controls on the amount of hydrogen peroxide contained in such products are such that they are generally considered ineffective.

For those who seek a permanent change and the privilege of having a specific colour choice, porcelain or resin laminates may be preferable. Limitless shades of white can be blended to suit your complexion (or fantasy) and moulded on to the front of the tooth. The tooth is cut away slightly so that the finished one is the not too thick. The lighter the tooth is to be, the more it must be built up and the more the original enamel must be removed. You just have to hope it never pops off to reveal a diminutive tooth peg - a horror which does occasionally happen. At Dentics in West London, a single porcelain veneer costs pounds 385. If a broad grin reveals about twelve teeth, you'd need to spend pounds 4,620 to have them all "fixed". So will it be white with a hint of toilet-bowl or cream with a touch of lab-coat? Dr Kay prefers a natural look: "Pearly whites can look highly artificial. Real teeth are far from gleaming white, they vary from the tip to the gumline. What looks brilliant on a young blonde will look ridiculous on a 65-year-old man."